Like Father, Like Daughter
by Hersheybear
Summary: Could you imagine Sands as a father? Maybe a long distance father, but what happens when he is suddenly thrown into the role, one on one? What would his daughter be like and how will he deal with this new dive? CHAPTER 12 IS UP!
1. Little Rebel, big problem

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. **

Megan rolled her eyes as the headmistress of her private boarding school continued on with how she was a disgrace to the school and how none of her actions were acceptable anymore. Megan had heard it before, but this time she picked up on a phrase she had never heard before. "We're sending you home Megan…we're not tolerating this behavior anymore." The headmistress said sternly. This would have been a dream come true, save for one thing…she didn't really have a _home_.

"Ms. Jenkins, please, that's not necessary, is it? I mean my father is paying you a butt load of money for you to clothe, shelter and feed me. You don't want to miss out on his tuition, do you?" Megan countered, she could be quite persuasive when she tried, much like her father she was told.

"Megan it's not going to work, you've been warned. You've finally reached the end of my mercy, we're going to notify your father and you'll be sent home as soon as it can be arranged."

"Yeah, good luck with that one.." Megan muttered under her breath.

"What was that young lady? These are the things we're talking about…you're so disrespectful…and such a terror." Ms. Jenkins said with a prissy attitude.

"I said good luck trying to reach him, even I can't do that…or I would have asked to be out of this hell hole long ago.." Megan said challengingly.

Ms. Jenkins' face turned red. "Get out of here right now…go back to your room and start packing." She ordered.

Megan stood up and left the room without another word. She went back to her boarding room, locked the door and sat on the bed. This was a nightmare. Her life had been a nightmare since her mom had died a year and a half ago in a plane crash. Everything turned for the worse when she was told about her mom. She had built a wall around herself, not letting anyone know how much she was hurt. She'd always been a little bit of a rebel, but it got worse…so much worse she was being kicked out of school-a school she paid a large amount of money to go to. She used to go home on the holidays and over the summer, but since her mom died there was nowhere to go. She hardly knew the man that was her father. She hadn't seen him since she was 7 or 8 years old…she was 15 now. It wasn't like he didn't do anything for her though, he paid her hefty tuition to go to the most prestigious private girls school in the country. And he sent her money on holidays and pretty much anything she wanted he'd pay for; she just charged it to an account he paid. But he was so private, to be honest she didn't know anything about him, except the basics: He was Agent Sheldon Jeffrey Sands of the Central Intelligence Agency and he was stationed in Mexico…


	2. Big problem, little phonecall

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident.**

Sands was enjoying his usual dinner of pork pibil when his cell phone started ringing in his pocket. He muttered something about fuck whoever would call and interrupt a perfectly good dinner. As he was opening his phone he looked around the restaurant, making eye contact with a familiar brunette in the corner.

"Sands.." He stated as he opened the phone, waiting for the reply as he smiled slightly in the brunette's direction.

"Mr. Sands, this is Ms. Jenkins from your daughter's school…how are you this evening?" She asked conversationally and politely.

"Well now I'm not doing too fucking well _Ms. Jenkins_." He replied shortly. "Cut to the chase, what is it you want? We had an agreement, I pay the cash and you don't hassle me with calls like this."

"Excuse me sir.." Ms. Jenkins replied, stuttering almost from the way he had spoken to her. "But we have a problem with your daughter…"

Sands cut her off. "There shouldn't be a problem…I paid you your money."

"The money is not an issue...it's Megan." She replied with a flat tone.

"Megan, what's wrong with her?"

"She's being kicked out of the school…I've called to arrange for you to pick her up."

"Kicked out? Why the hell would you do that?" Sands asked with disbelief, he couldn't pick her up, what would he do with her?

"She's a disrespectful tyrant and I won't tolerate it any longer." The headmistress replied sternly.

"Don't you think you're being harsh on the girl, what with her mother and all.." He replied in a sympathetic tone, it was sympathy for Megan…he refused to relate how he felt about the subject.

"Mr. Sands it has been a year and a half, Megan refuses to talk about it. She's bottled it up and has become even more rebellious. She shows no respect and she's impossible to reckon with. This is a matter that must be dealt with at home. It's something you need to work on with her, it's not my job or concern any longer."

"No wonder she's disrespectful, the likes of you bearing down on her would do that to the most docile kid." Sands muttered, though he had to admit he was a little proud of the kid…he couldn't stand this woman at all…he didn't know how she did it all year long.

"You won't be putting the blame on me, maybe if you stepped up and made a good example for her she wouldn't be in this predicament…though it's no wonder where she got her attitude from." She added with a sharp reproach.

"Ms. Jenkins I don't appreciate your attitude through all of this, especially with the fucking tuition I pay to you every year. You'd think that would at least buy some manners and understanding.." He retorted

"Well your attitude is not appreciated either, when will you be here to pick her up?"

"I can't get up there right now, I'm in the middle of work.." He said incredulously.

"Well you'd better figure out a way. You have one week." She said firmly.

"What will you do, put the poor kid on the street?" He challenged.

"I'll notify the police, she'll be put in an orphan's home." She shot back.

"Hell she might be safer there.." He muttered. "Fine, can you get her to the airport for a flight to Mexico at least?" He asked.

"It can be done, do you want her on the next flight?" She asked, much happier that they were getting somewhere with this.

"No.." He replied quickly…there was no way his daughter would be there for the Day of the Dead.. "Have her on the first available flight Monday." He said finally.

"That's 2 more days.." Ms. Jenkins declared.

"You said I have a week." He shrugged.

"Fine…this will have to do…Goodbye Mr. Sands.." She said before hanging up.

"See ya in hell bitch." Sands muttered after she had hung up and he put the phone back in his pocket. He threw down some cash for his meal and walked out, this was more stress than he needed, especially at the time, with the Day of the Dead coming up. He heard someone come out the door behind him and smiled slightly as she came up behind him and ran her hands down his shoulders and arms.

"You look like you could use a few drinks…why don't you let me buy you a few?" She purred.

"I could use a lot more than a few drinks from you Sugarbutt.." He smiled, rolling a cigarette and putting it between his lips. "But a few drinks is always a great place to start.." He said with a smile.


	3. No Fool Here

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

**Thanks to everyone who submitted comments! They're so encouraging! Sorry for the short chapter, I just liked the way it ended and couldn't think of anything else to go with it!**

Megan could hardly believe that they had in fact gotten in touch with her father, but more surprising was that she was to meet him in Mexico. All this news had been delivered to her when Ms. Jenkins came down to tell her to pack up her things. She didn't know whether to be happy, nervous, scared, or what. She was going to see her father again…she wondered if he was mad at her for this turn of events. She was sure he was, but she wasn't sure of was just _how_ mad he'd be.

She looked around the messy room and immediately set to work packing up her things. She turned on the CD player with a Good Charlotte CD as she worked to take her mind of the hellhole she was leaving and what trouble she might be going to, she had no idea what to expect from her father. All this stress was almost overwhelming; she bit her lip and looked at the volume knob, what the hell…she was already being sent away. She cranked up the volume a few notches and worked her way around the room, ignoring the knocks at the door to turn down the volume, instead she turned it up more so she couldn't hear them and continued working through the mess of her room to pack up her belongings.

Meanwhile:

Sands slowly got dressed, then almost lazily rolled a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "I'll catch you later Sugarbutt…don't forget about tomorrow.." He reminded Ajedrez before going out the door. He had a lot of thinking to do. By this time tomorrow he and Ajedrez would be splitting the money as they had planned, but there was one small problem: instead of disappearing soon afterwards like he had also planned, his daughter was coming. What the hell was he supposed to do with her? His life did not have room for a kid too. A part of him told him that he should have thought about it before he had gotten carried away with that woman 15…almost 16 years ago. The other part said not to blame her…don't even think about her. He went along with the latter half of the second option. "Don't think about it.." He told himself…right now was for planning, calculating for the future…he never went into anything _blind_. Only fools did that and Sheldon Jeffrey Sands was no fool, or at least was not going to be proven one, whichever way you wanted to look at it.


	4. A Little Help?

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

**Thanks for all the comments...hope you enjoy this!**

_The Day of the Dead_

Sands leaned up against the building…the pain was more than could be described. Excruciating wasn't enough of a word to even begin to describe what he was going through. Though there was more to the situation than anyone could see…but he could see it...and he was _blind_. It was starting to sink in…before it had been about pain and revenge and finishing what he had started…now that was finished, and he had to deal with the after effects. That could describe his entire life, not just this latest twist to things. It described perfectly why he couldn't sink into the darkness…his daughter was coming…he had gone too far with a woman and now he was dealing with the after effects…funny how everything in life could be traced to a cause and effect.

He was deep in thought when Jorge said 'See ya later'…his immediate response was 'Fck off' simply because he was deep in thought and he didn't like the feeling that his thoughts were being interrupted.

"Jorge…wait…" He sighed; the boy was standing beside him faithfully and gave him a questioning glance as he called to Jorge. "I need you to do me a favor…" He led on…not giving too much away.

Jorge stopped. "The great Sands needs _my_ help?" He smirked.

"Don't take it that far…I can easily find someone else…it's a matter if you want to be in the loop…besides, you're here now…it's easier than finding someone in this dead, God-forsaken town." Sands shrugged

"Alright…alright already…stop with the sermon…what is it you need? A pretty nurse to dress your wounds?" He joked with a smirk

"I know you're smirking about that Jorge, but right now is not the time to fck the pooch…no, that's not what I need." Sands said dryly.

Jorge rolled his eyes. "Then what is it?" He asked again.

"I need you to meet someone at the airport…her safety is very important right now…for your sake it is the most important thing in the world.." He said with a tone that suggested this could be another 'pork' and 'cook' situation.

"I should have known it would be about a girl.." Jorge sighed.

"Not just any girl…keep that in mind…" Sands warned. He had already researched the earliest flight from the airport near Megan's school to Mexico would arrive around 7:00 a.m. the next morning…the nice thing about the time zones was that she could leave at 7:00 in the morning and be in Mexico at 7:00 a.m. He was particularly fond of things that worked out so well…it kept the balance.

"You need to pick her up at 7:00 a.m. at the airport. Don't keep her waiting and don't you dare let anything happen to her." Sands warned.

"How am I going to know who she is? Do I get a name…anything? And why is she so important?" He asked, still curious as to why Sands would be picking up a girl from the airport…he was thinking a grown woman…a 'friend' of Sands's in some sort of way…not a kid.

"Her name is Megan…you can hold one of those signs like the chauffeurs do…'Welcome to Mexico Megan' type deal. And why it is so important isn't your business at the moment…but if you're half the agent I think you are…you'll figure it out as soon as you see her.." Sands said with a tone of finality, before turning to the boy. "What's your name?" He asked

"Mateo" He replied.

"Alright Mateo, I need you to take me to a nice hotel…not close to this mess though…closer to the airport…as far from this as possible…and we're going to get 3 rooms.." He said, smiling slightly at the boy.


	5. Suspicion Comes Naturally

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

**Thanks for all the comments, I finally got time to do the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Megan watched out the window as the plane pulled away from the airport and taxied down the runway. It was the first time she had ever taken a solo trip. When her mom was alive she used to come out and meet her at the school, she never would have made her do this alone. She might have let her if she asked, but never forced her. She sighed and looked back towards the front of the plane…looking around at the passengers. The flight wasn't very crowded, it was an early flight and it was just after the Day of the Dead incident, though Megan didn't know anything about that. She sifted around in her book bag that she had carried on the plane and pulled out her headphones and a small notebook. She looked out the window one last time before she settled in and started writing, from the looks of things she would be writing for a while…

A few hours later Megan was jostled awake by the plane touching down in Mexico. She yawned and looked out the window at the airport they were landing at. It was pretty big. She wondered if her dad would be able to find her. Of course he will. She told herself, packing her stuff up and waiting for them to be allowed to disembark from the airplane. She followed the crowd off of the airplane, standard procedure would have required a flight attendant to sit with her until her dad found her, but she avoided that by blending in with a couple that had 2 other kids. She didn't need the help of a flight attendant, she'd be fine…her dad was waiting for her in the terminal anyways. She walked out into the large waiting terminal and looked around. The place was almost empty. She sighed and put her bag done in one of the chairs, looking around again before she sat down with a sigh. "He just got held up in traffic…he'll be here soon" She told herself, looking around as the people started to walk towards the baggage claim area. There was one man left, he was looking around as if looking for someone. Her hopes went up a little, but as the man came closer she realized he looked nothing like the picture she had of her dad. She sighed again and continued looking around for her dad to show up.

Jorge sighed impatiently. "Where the hell is this woman?" He muttered. He looked at the little girl sitting by herself, she was looking for someone and looked hurt when her glances around the waiting area turned up nothing. He felt bad for the kid, she was stuck here all alone. He shrugged, it wasn't his problem, his problem was to find the woman named Megan. He went up to the help desk near the terminal exit.

"Can I help you, sir?" The airline representative asked politely.

"Yes…I was sent to pick up a woman getting off this flight. Her name is Megan." He said, looking towards the door…waiting for someone else to come through.

"I'm sorry sir, you must have missed her. All the passengers have disembarked from this flight." She said, with a frown that said she was sorry she didn't have a better answer. "All I can suggest is that she went to retrieve her bags and she's going to come back here to meet you." She suggested.

Jorge rubbed his chin…this didn't sound good. "Alright…I suppose I can wait awhile.." He muttered, going over and sitting down 2 chairs down from the girl.

The airline representative came over to the little girl. "Sweetie, are you lost?" She asked sweetly.

"No, my dad was supposed to meet me here, but he's not here yet.." She sighed and shrugged.

"Are you sure he's going to meet you here?" The representative asked.

"I thought so." Megan said with a frown.

"I'll call up to the main desk and see if he's waiting for you there, alright?" The woman suggested with a comforting smile.

Megan nodded as the woman turned and walked away. Jorge looked over at her. "You were on that flight, right?" He asked

Megan looked over at him and bit her lip…he looked friendly enough. "Yeah.." She said cautiously.

Jorge noted her suspicion and pulled out his 'renewed' FBI badge. "You don't have to worry…I'm with the FBI." He said, noting the relief on her face. "I'm looking for a woman that was supposed to be on that flight. I'm supposed to pick her up for a friend. Her name is Megan. Do you remember seeing her on the flight? She would have been alone.." He added.

"My name's Megan." The little girl smiled slightly. "But no…the only people on the flight were couples, families and stuffy business men. And me.." She added.

Jorge paused, remembering what Sands had said. _You'll understand when you get there._ "You said you were waiting for your dad to meet you, right?" He asked suddenly.

Megan nodded. "Yeah, I was sent home from boarding school and my dad was supposed to meet me here." She confirmed, the hint of suspicion entering her voice again.

Jorge smiled. "Your father, his name is Sands, isn't it? Sheldon Sands with the CIA.."

Megan was a little taken back that he would now this. "Yeah…that's my dad.." She said softly, nervously.

"So you're the one I'm supposed to be escorting to him." Jorge smiled, Megan however, wasn't so convinced.

"How do I know he sent you?" She asked, with the same natural suspicion as Sands.

Jorge was now the one taken back. "I…well…" He stuttered, he didn't have an answer for this one.

"Exactly.." Megan confirmed. "I don't know you and I don't have to trust you because you have an FBI badge that is probably fake anyways.." She said confidently.

Jorge racked his mind. "Do you want to talk to your dad yourself, ask him if I'm supposed to take you to him?" He finally suggested.

Megan paused. "Yes I do.." She said, taking out her journal and opening it to a well-worn page. "Do you have a cell phone?" She asked, to which Jorge handed her his and she dialed the phone number she was told to dial only in case of an emergency and nothing short of an emergency.


	6. Trust Is The Issue

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

**Studying for Anatomy was too boring, so I wrote another chapter! Enjoy!**

Jorge watched Megan as she held the phone to her ear. He was taking in more about her now. She wasn't a _little girl_, actually she was probably around 15 or 16.

"Man I must be losing it…to mix up a teenager with a little kid" He thought to himself, shaking his head. He ran possible scenarios through his head. She had to be Sands's daughter; there was no other explanation. It explained why she had eyes like his, deep, mysterious, like she knew something about you even you didn't know. It also accounted for her suspicious nature…but why was she here? Especially now? Where was her mother? Who was her mother? He continued to ponder these thoughts as she listened to the phone ring…waiting for her dad to pick up…waiting for explanation.

_She thought back to 5 years ago…it was her tenth birthday…her mom had promised her that her dad was coming, they had worked it out: he WOULD be there. She was going to get to see her dad. She hadn't seen him in forever. She didn't have the chance to be a 'Daddy's girl' but she still adored her father, doesn't every girl? The day passed and there was no sign of her dad, not until later that night, she was in bed…still crying herself to sleep when the phone rang. She heard her mom's angry tone as the phone conversation carried on._

_"You crushed her world Sands. She was so excited and you never showed up. Not a phone call, nothing."_

_"I don't care if you're sorry. It's not me you need to apologize to. It's her…she was heartbroken. You've never had to explain to her why her mom didn't show up. So you **don't** know what it's like." Her mother continued on._

_"You'd better try harder next time," was the last thing she could make out her mom saying._

**At the hotel with Sands and Mateo**

Sands was cleaning his guns surprisingly well for a blind man, he kept tabs on the boy by listening to his breathing. He trusted the kid, surprisingly, but he figured it wouldn't last. The kid had to have a family and he'd done some reckless things, but kidnapping a kid was never one of them. That was were Megan just might be of some use, surely he could trust his own daughter, it would just be a matter of deciding how much to reveal to her at a time…he wasn't sure what her reaction would be to finding out her dad had had his eyes drilled out, let alone not seeing him in a little while…alright a few years…okay…so it had been longer…a lot longer.

He told himself that didn't make him a bad father, why should he care? However, is thoughts were interrupted at this point by his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and called Mateo over.

"Read me the number." He instructed the boy.

"It says 'Jorge'…that's all." The boy said simply.

"The bastard can't even pick up a girl from the airport.." Sands muttered under his breath. "Hell Jorge, I sent you to the airport to pick up Megan…is that too complicated?" He answered the phone with irritation, but cool control in his voice.

Megan drew in a sharp breath at just hearing her father's voice and she was left speechless, however the smartass in her couldn't let his comment go. "I don't know. Maybe when you send a complete stranger for your daughter it could create problems, besides I'm _your_ daughter…shouldn't this be _your_ responsibility? But what can I say…I'm a complicated kid…and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.." She replied with just as much cool control in her voice as he had had in his.

Now it was Sands's turn to be speechless…not necessarily from her words, but from the fact that he was talking to his daughter. However, it didn't take long for him to snap back, he didn't even want to let his daughter think she had got him, but what parent did…perhaps he was 'typical' on this stance. "Things came up, I couldn't help it." He said nonchalantly and shrugged, even though she couldn't see him. "Didn't I tell you not to call this line unless it was an emergency?" He added with a hint of irritation.

"First…what can possibly come up that's more important than your daughter?" She replied with a bit of an edge.

Sands could remember those words…she sounded just like her mother. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed her. He realized he had spaced out and was stuck strolling down…what was that cheesy name they gave it? Oh memory lane…yeah he was strolling down memory lane. Megan's impatient sigh brought him back to focus and he mumbled something she couldn't make out.

"Secondly…when you send a complete stranger to pick up your kid, it creates problems. Unless you want me to spend the night in the airport, I think you should fill me in on just who you sent to pick me up, how the hell I know it's him…and more importantly why I should trust him." She said coolly.

"Damn, are you sure your mother didn't send you to the CIA training academy instead of boarding school?" Sands chuckled, he could picture Megan smiling at that, how? He didn't quite know himself. "His name is Jorge Rameriz, he's retired FBI—" Megan mumbled something about an outdated badge and Sands chuckled again. "—yeah, that's him…I tried to tell him it was a dead give away. Anyways…you're to trust him because I said so and because I trusted him enough to send you…" He said with a note of firm finality in his voice.

"Aye aye Captain…" Megan smirked.

"Are you done comprising my cell phone now?" Sands asked with a hint of impatience, though he wasn't really mad…he was pretty impressed with the girl. She handled it very well. "Jorge knows where to bring you."

"Fine, I can take the hint…" Megan sighed. "Um…bye Dad.." She said before hanging up.

"Bye Megan.." Sands said quietly, closing the phone and putting it back in his pocket. He listened for Mateo's breathing, but didn't hear it…instead he felt a cool breeze.

"Mateo?" He asked guardedly.

He heard the boy come back in the room. "Yes sir? I was on the balcony…I thought you might want some privacy…" He said with a shrug.

"Oh yeah...um…thank you.." Sands mumbled. "The balcony's not safe though…even a rookie sniper could easily take you out." He said firmly.

" I'm sorry…" He said more quietly.

"It's alright kid…" Sands shrugged and leaned back against the headboard. "Once Jorge gets Megan here…we'll figure out what to do next." He sighed, running through ideas.

"You should see a doctor.." Mateo pointed out.

"I did…and it didn't end well, besides…seeing is a problem right now." Sands snapped back.

"I was only trying to help." Mateo replied defensively

"I know…it's just…never mind…why don't you watch some T.V. until they get here?" Sands suggested wearily


	7. The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

**Thanks for all the comments! They help a lot! Hope you enjoy this chapter and the beginning of Sands and Megan's interactions!**

Megan looked over at Jorge as she closed the cell phone.

"Well?" He asked.

"I suppose I'm supposed to trust you…though it doesn't mean I do.." She shrugged, standing up and looking expectantly at him.

Jorge rolled his eyes and stood up, following her towards the baggage claim area, muttering something about the apple not falling fall from the tree. Although he couldn't see it, Megan smiled victoriously.

After they had retrieved her bags, they headed out to the parking lot and Jorge hailed a cab. Once they were settled inside the cab and Jorge had given the driver the name of the hotel, Megan spoke to him…but didn't necessarily look at him, her gaze was directed out the window.

"How long have you known my dad?" She asked.

Jorge looked at her. "Long enough, I guess..why?"

She looked over him this time. "He doesn't trust people…not at all…but I'd like to think he wouldn't have a complete stranger off the street escort me…defeats the entire purpose pretty much.." She shrugged.

"I'm not a stranger…besides…I'm FBI…I'm one of the safest escorts you could ask for." He said defensively.

"You _were_ FBI.." Megan corrected. "And the FBI being safe is a matter of opinion.." She added

Jorge gave her a slight glare.

"So how did you meet my dad? It's public knowledge the FBI and CIA don't get along.." She shrugged.

"Well in this case we did.." Jorge said with a little bit of a quick edge to his voice. "Besides, what is this? 20 questions?" He sighed.

"Getting a little worked up over a few questions, aren't you?" Megan said with a smirk and smile in her eyes…adding something under her breath about a teenager being the source of his discomfort.

Jorge looked at her. "It's obvious the two of you are related…the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He looked out the window. "Now it's my turn…why are you here?" He asked. "You could have picked a better time for a family reunion.." He added under his breath.

Megan looked over at him, a mischievous smile on her lips. "I got kicked out of boarding school. Apparently I'm a rebellious tyrant.." She said, almost challengingly.

Jorge looked out of the window again. "Great..now there's two of them.." He muttered as they pulled up at the hotel and he started to get out.

Megan quickly got out and went around to his door. "Why is this a bad time, anyways?" She asked

Jorge waited for the cabbie to unload the suitcases and paid him, before looking at her again. "You don't know anything about what happened yesterday, do you?" He asked.

Megan looked at him, more seriously than before. "What happened?" She asked quickly.

"Yesterday was the Day of the Dead…and there was an attempted over throw of the government…Mexico is pretty much in a state of recovery.." He shrugged…not revealing anything about Sands.

"Oh…" Megan said, then followed him into the hotel.

"You're dad has rooms 214, 216, and 218." Jorge said while they were on the elevator. "214 and 218 are both joined by doors to 216, I'm pretty sure Sands is in 216." He said as they exited the elevator and went down the hall.

"So you're staying with us for a while?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I didn't plan on it.." Jorge said as he knocked on the door of 216.

"Then why are there 3 rooms?" She asked as Mateo opened the door…she tried not to let her jaw drop at the sight of the boy, no one told her she had a _brother…_ at least, that's what she assumed he was in the mix of things.

Mateo left the door open and went back into the room to watch TV, and Megan heard her dad's voice.

"Did you check to see who it was before you let them in?" He asked, a tad of impatience in his voice.

"Yeah…it was Jorge and a girl.." Mateo shrugged.

"I have a lot of work to do.." Sands sighed.

"You should have left the chain on the door, asked to see both of our hands, closed the door and let us in through one of the adjoining room's doors. That would ensure we had no weapons, and by letting us in a door we didn't expect, allowed you to make sure no one else was with us." Megan said as she walked into the room, looking at her dad on the bed, he didn't look well.

Sands 'looked' towards her voice and nodded. "She's right." He simply said nonchalantly. "Though if there would have been someone there, you might have been just as surprised as them and more problems could arise." He added.

"It was a better approach than the one taken.." Megan shot back.

"True…but was it the best?" Sands smirked.

"That's based on opinion and the situation." Megan said with a shrug.

"Both are subject to variation and high powered weapons.." Sands replied.

"And both are typically unknowns.." She replied.

"Very good…" Sands smiled slightly…not a real smile though.


	8. A Very, Very Bad Thing

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

Megan bit her lip and looked around the room. Needless to say a battle of the minds wasn't what she had expected from this meeting. She watched her dad, casually propped up on the bed. Something didn't seem right, but she didn't know what that something was…not exactly.

Sands could sense that there was shift in the mood, some things you didn't have to see, you just knew. He didn't want Megan reading too much into this too soon, she was a smart, inquisitive girl…she had already proved that. But he didn't want her to find out too much too soon. He would reveal when he was ready.

"How does a kid like you know things about security risks?" He asked conversationally.

"I'm 15.." She said with a bit of bite in her voice. "Besides, it's common sense…especially with the shows that on TV.." She shrugged.

"TV is never accurate." Sands replied.

"You mean 'not always accurate.'" She corrected. "Besides, I didn't say I was getting an education from TV…I simply said there are shows about it on TV.." She countered back.

"No..I say what I mean…unlike some people.." Sands replied. "TV is never accurate.." He said again.

"Sometimes that gets him in trouble..actually a lot of the time, isn't that right?" Jorge butted into the conversation.

Sands 'glared' over at Jorge…and Megan matched his glare with her own.

Jorge shrugged. "Alright already…my work is done…I'll be seeing you around.." He said before walking to the door and leaving. Sands smiled smugly as he left, unfortunately he couldn't see his daughter's expression that mirrored his own.

Megan followed Jorge and locked the door behind him, then came back and looked tentatively at Mateo before cautiously sitting down on the end of Sands' bed.

Sands could sense tension and unease still in the room…he senses were even more acute without his sight. "Oh yeah…Megan meet Mateo, Mateo meet Megan." He said simply. Megan was almost, no she was, offended at his casualness. She thought she had every right to know that he had a son, which she was still convinced Mateo was. And he didn't even introduce her as his daughter…she huffed slightly with anger. She had a very quick temper and very little patience.

Sands didn't know what was going on, he couldn't read Megan's face to see what the problem was and that upset him. He was having trouble adjusting to this change, and one thing he knew was that not being able to read one of the opposite sex, no matter how young or even if she was related, was a very, very bad thing.

**Alright, this seems like a good way to end it, I like that last line, so you're just going to have to get by with a short chapter!**


	9. Jealous Assumptions

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

**Sorry for the delay, here's the next chapter!**

Megan was undoubtedly upset, Sands could tell that much for sure, but he didn't know why. And for him, not knowing something was enough to make him upset as well. Mateo looked over at the two as a loud silence filled the room, the chilly air was obvious to anyone. He could tell that when the two of them were both mad things could probably get ugly.

"I'm going to go watch TV in the other room…" Mateo said as he started to get up.

"Don't bother, I'm already leaving." Megan said curtly, standing up and gathering her suitcases.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sands nearly growled. "Where do you think you're going?" He demanded.

"It means I'm leaving." She shot back with a hot temper. "Don't worry about it, it's obvious you don't worry about anything else that deals with me anyways." She added with a cold edge and drug her bags into the next room before slamming the door-so she wouldn't hear anything he had to say. Somehow she knew that her last statement would definitely make things worse, but for some reason she didn't care.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, it's what will get you shot!" He shouted after her, forgetting that this was his daughter he was arguing with.

Sands wasn't going to let her walk out on him and think she had won. He struggled to get up, pushing Mateo away as he tried to help and felt his way to the door she had gone through, despite his pain. He slowly entered the room, anger and pain etched in his face as he shut the door behind him, he could sense Megan turn around to face him.

"What the hell was that display about?" He asked in an ominously low voice.

Megan tried to regain her composure from his threatening tone. "I don't mean anything to you and you know that!" She spat back.

"You're right. I only pay your tuition, well _paid_ until _you_ got your ass kicked out of school, and I pay all of your credit card charges. I ensured your safety, but that doesn't prove anything about if I care I suppose." He said coolly.

"_My safety?_" She asked with disbelief. "You didn't even come get me! You had me shipped on an airplane and then picked up by a total stranger!"

"I told you, there were certain complications that I had no control over." He said icily, not wanting to think back to why he was unable to do all of that.

"What was it this time? You always have some excuse. Some well thought out excuse." She hissed. "I suppose this time it was that your _son_ needed you. A son _always_ outweighs a daughter, even when you haven't seen her in years and she's your first child. So excuse me for interrupting your bonding time." She said coldly. "Just get on with it, forget I'm here. That shouldn't be too hard for you." She said challengingly, her eyes blazing.

Sands leaned back against the door, a smirk on his face. "So that's what this is all about. You're jealous." He said, slightly amused. "Seems someone is feeling sorry for herself." He added.

"I am not!" She replied firmly.

"See, I can understand that you think I have an excuse like always. Yeah, I'll grant you that one, so I haven't been around as much as probably should have been." He shrugged slightly.

"That's all you have to say?" She asked with disbelief. "You really don't care? You're just going to shrug it off?" She asked incredulously.

"What do you want me to do? The past is done, I can't change it and believe me, if I could I certainly would." He said, of something entirely different.

"You could have at least told me you had a son. Or introduced me as your daughter. Claim me or something or am I just a burden?" She asked with an edge.

"We're back to this again, are we? The fact that you saw a boy with me and assumed he was my son." He paused and let the words sink in and then leaned closer to her, or where he thought she was by her breathing. "I hate to say this, well really I don't, but I know you're going to hate hearing it: You're wrong this time." He said with a victorious smile.


	10. A Startling Secret

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Megan shot back.

"Didn't teach you many manners at that school, did they? Like not swearing at adults." Sands smirked.

"You're really one to talk." She replied. "But don't try to change the subject…what do you mean, I'm wrong?" She asked again.

"Well, when I said 'you're wrong'…that implies 'you' which is pretty self explanatory. 'Are' is really not necessary…if you don't mind sounding like Tarzan. Finally, 'wrong' means not right." He smirked…he could tell Megan was fuming at this response.

"Thank you for the English lesson." She said icily. "But what am I wrong about?"

"Well what were we talking about? Oh yeah, my son. You're wrong." He shrugged.

She sighed, clearly annoyed. "Are you sure you're not the child-you're sure acting like one."

"Pushing your buttons, my _darling_ daughter? Maybe you can see what it feels like." He smiled.

"Forget it. This is pointless." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, consider it forgotten, but that doesn't change the fact that you were wrong." He pointed out, knowing it would infuriate her to have it pointed out again.

"Okay…tell me exactly what I was wrong about. _Please._" She sighed, ready to give up.

"Giving up already? I should have known." Sands poured it on.

Megan just glared at him.

"He's not my son." Sands shrugged.

"What?" Megan asked with disbelief, wondering why would a strange boy be in his room if he wasn't his son.

"You heard me." He simply shrugged.

"But…but…who is he then?" She asked.

Sands rolled a cigarette casually. "He was just helping me get settled in. I thought you might feel a little better, having another kid around." He shrugged and lit the cigarette.

"So you know him, right?" She asked.

"You think I would let a stranger in my room, kid or otherwise?" He asked with disbelief

"Okay…no I guess not." She said slowly. "So, who is he?"

"I told you, he's just helping me." He said defensively.

"What do _you_ need help with?" She asked, clearly confused.

"What is this? 20 questions?" He asked, defense creeping in again.

"I just wondered." She shrugged.

"Don't worry, everything is okay." He said, more to convince himself…he wondered if he should just get it over with and tell her, but his pride wouldn't let him.

"Okay.." She said quietly as he turned to leave. She saw the way he almost searched for the doorknob, and for the first time she noticed he was wearing sunglasses inside. "Hey, Dad.." the word sounded strange on her lips. "Why are you wearing sunglasses? Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." He said quickly and went through the door.

Megan sighed and just shrugged it off, this was a big change. She tried not to let his attitude bother her too much. She jumped when she heard something crash in the next room, and then heard what must have been Sands groan in pain. She jumped off her bed and rushed into his room. "What happened?" She asked, though it was clear he had tripped over a chair in the room. She bent down and picked up his sunglasses, then rolled him over to try and help him up-but the sight she saw made her gasp with shock. Her eyes were wide as she stared at his eyes, or rather lack of.

"Wh-what happened to your eyes?" She asked, holding her breath as the image seared into her mind.


	11. A Chance I'll Have To Take

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

Megan couldn't help but stare at the sight before her. She tried to tear her gaze away, but she just couldn't. The image would be seared into her mind for as long as she lived: holes where her dad's eyes should have been.

Sands had heard her rush into the room, and he had heard her gasp. He even felt bad for her-that she had to find out like this. That she had to see him _like this._

"Do you have my sunglasses?" He asked, now she noticed the way his voice sounded like it was drained of energy, and now she understood why.

She held out the sunglasses with a shaky hand, placing them in his outstretched hand. She had to remind herself to breathe. The sight still took her breath away.

"Are…are you okay?" She asked, barely above a whisper.

Sands bit back a sarcastic remark…she sounded really upset. "Help me sit up against the bed." He said, it took a cut at him to ask for help-but he did it.

"It's not as bad as it looks." He lied as she helped him prop up against the bed.

"Don't try to protect me. I can handle whatever you have to say." Megan said, seeing through his lie.

Sands smirked at the thought. "You're not ready for half the stuff I could tell you." He sighed. "No real person would be." He added under his breath.

"What happened?" She asked, changing the focus. "Have you seen a doctor yet? We should really call a doctor." She said quickly, her concern was evident-but that wasn't what Sands wanted.

"No. I don't want to see a doctor. Not right now." He said firmly.

"But you have to. Blood loss, blood poisoning…you don't have any eyes. You need a doctor." She insisted.

"I don't want a damn doctor. Not yet." He replied harshly, his voice rising. "That's how this all started-with a damn doctor. A so called 'doctor' did this to me." He said icily.

Megan drew a sharp breath. "What do you mean? Who did it?" She asked.

"See-that's another reason I don't want a doctor. They ask too many damn questions." He said bitterly.

"I'm just trying to help. You don't have to be so damn stubborn." Megan replied harshly, it was obvious she was getting fed up with his attitude.

"Yes I do…it's what keeps me alive." He replied.

"You're not going to be alive much longer if you get an infection." She pointed out.

"It's a chance I'll have to take." He said firmly. He didn't say that he planned on seeing someone about getting new eyes. He was sure it could be done on the black market-but he had to act soon and he knew it. But there was no sense in getting her all worked up over it.

"Then I'll be an orphan." She shot back, and then got really quiet.

Sands didn't say anything-he just 'looked' away.


	12. If This Is How It's Going To Be

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, if I did I would have a lot more money! This is all from my own head and my imagination, if it resembles any real life incidents it was totally by accident. Any original characters are of my own creation as well…please respect that, thanks!**

"Did you hear me?" Megan demanded to know. "I could be an orphan!" She said harshly. "Don't you care about me even a little?" She asked more quietly.

Sands sighed, but didn't say a word.

Megan shook her head. "I should have known. I've had the answer all along, haven't I? You left Mom when you found out she was pregnant with me and never wanted anything to do with me." She said and turned to go back in her room, blinking back the tears. She wasn't going to let him hear her crying-she only cried alone.

"Megan…wait.." Sands sighed, but she had already gone into her room and shut the door rather loudly.

Sands leaned back against the bed and slipped his sunglasses back on before running his hands through his hair. "Shit. I don't need this right now.." He muttered, slamming his fist down on the floor…wincing at the sharp pain that cursed through his hand. He started to stand shakily, leaning against the wall when he had finally stood up. He stood there for the longest time…just remembering...

_Sands quietly slipped through the back door, it was late and Kate was probably already asleep. He poured himself a shot of Tequila and knocked it back as he looked out the window towards the darkened street. Nobody had followed him here…no one knew he was here. He glanced over at the travel bag by the door. It held the essentials, just enough to get him through. He put the bottle away and walked down the hall towards the bedroom, he looked in at the woman on the bed. He thought she was sleeping, until he saw her brush her hand over her face and heard her sobbing softly._

_"Kate? What's the matter?" He asked, going into the room and sitting down on the bed, looking at her with concern._

_She jumped slightly as he spoke, then wiped her eyes hastily. "Where were you?" She asked._

_"I was out, Kate…out with some friends." He said, surprised by her question._

_"Don't lie to me…not before you leave." She replied._

_"I'm not lying Kate." He said defensively. "I was out with friends." He repeated._

_"No. You were out with A friend. Just one. And she happens to be the same woman you're juggling your time with. If you're not with me, you're with her. I thought you said those days were over." She said, hurt shining in her eyes._

_"Just because I don't spend all of my time with you doesn't mean I'm cheating on you." He said, a bit of an edge to his voice._

_"It's obvious you've been with her." She pointed out._

_"What in the hell is that supposed to me?" He asked harshly._

_"There…that's how I know. You're always so harsh after you've been with her. You're not usually like this Sands. Not with me." She said, searching his eyes. "Please. Stop lying. I saw you two together…going into your apartment." She said, looking down at the floor._

_"So now you're stalking me because you don't trust me? That's just great. Should I start following you around too?" He asked coldly._

_"We were supposed to have dinner tonight. Before you left. You promised me it would be special and I had something I wanted to tell you. But when you didn't show up, I went to your apartment looking for you. I thought maybe you were running late and there you were…with her. You know who I'm talking about. Long legs, tan, slender…black hair." She sighed and swallowed hard._

_Sands bit his lip and didn't say a word…confirming Kate's suspicions with his silence. "Kate, I'm sorry. I broke it off. I swear…if you would have hung around, you would have saw her storm out." He said softly._

_"You swore it wouldn't happen again last time. And the time before that." She said softly. "What am I doing wrong? You were the one that wanted a committed relationship and you're the one that seems to be having the most trouble with it."_

_"It's not you, I promise you. It's me." He said softly._

_"When do you leave?" She asked quietly_

_"Four hours." He replied and bit his lip. "Are you okay?" He asked._

_"How long are you going to be gone?" She asked, ignoring his question._

_"Kate…" He paused. "You know the way this works. I honestly don't know. I hope it's over in a few weeks." He said, he meant it. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?" He asked, remembering she had said she had something important to tell him at dinner._

_Kate looked at him, her eyes were red and glassed over from crying…she sniffled softly and looked down at her hands. "Sands…I'm…well…I'm pregnant." She said softly._

_Sands looked at her with disbelief. "Well that's certainly unexpected.." He said, biting his lip slightly…obviously in shock._

_"That's all you have to say?" Kate asked. "It's unexpected?" She asked with disbelief._

_"What do you want me to say Kate? I didn't expect that…so yes..it is unexpected." He shot back._

_Kate sighed, clearly upset. "If you're going to keep acting like this…if this is as good as it's going to get…just..don't…" She trailed off..fighting off tears._

_"What Kate?" Sands asked impatiently._

_"If this is how it's going to be…don't bother coming back." She said, meeting his eyes._


End file.
